Display stand



April 20, 1965 G. 1.. FREEDMAN DISPLAY STAND Filed Dec. 7, 1962 Miam A TTOE/V575.

United States Patent 3,179,479 DISPLAY STAND Gordon L. Freedman,(Iharlevoix, Mich, assignor to Freedman Artcraft EngineeringCorporation, Qharievoix, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 7,1962, Ser. No. 242,988 4 Claims. (Ci. 312-1403) This invention relatesto display stands and more particularly to a display stand which isconvertible from a greeting card display stand to a general utilitydisplay stand or dump bin.

Greeting cards are now sold in numerous types of stores such as five andten cent stores, drug stores, variety stores, department stores, etc.Many retail outlets display and sell greeting cards only during theholiday seasons or expand their greeting card operation at this time.One of the problems which confronts a store manager interested inselling greeting cards only during selected seasons is that of storingthe large and bulky card display stand in the olf holiday seasons. Thestands usually occupy ten to fifteen square feet of floor space which inall stores may be considered in terms of a dollar cost figure. By way ofexample, assume that a store with one hundred square feet of space isleased for one hundred dollars per month. In this situation, each squarefoot of floor space costs a minimum of one dollar per month. Otherwiseexpressed and assuming these cost figures, the stand occupying tensquare feet of floor space must return a profit of at least ten dollarsper month in order for the store manager to break even on the sale ofgreeting cards. In many situations, a card display stand is justifiedtwo or three months of the year but unjustified during the remainder.

For the obvious financial reasons outlined above, many retail outletsmake a practice of selling greeting cards two or three months of theyear and storing the card display stand in the basement or elsewhereduring the other nonholiday months. Other stores merely refuse to sellgreeting cards because of the large space requirement which results in aprofit only during a few holiday seasons of the year.

It has been an objective of this invention to provide a card displaystand which may be utilized twelve months of the year and which may beeasily converted from a card display stand to a general utility displaystand. To this end, the display stand of this invention incorporates atwo piece construction composed of a base and a convertible top section.The top section may be placed in either of two positions; first in aposition in which the greeting card display. rack extends upwardly fromthe base and secondly in a position in which a general utility dumpingor display bin extends upwardly from the base.

Another objective of this invention has been to provide an inexpensive,convertible greeting card display stand which will result ingreaterprofits to a store utilizing the stand.

Still another objective of this invention has been to provide animproved card display stand which will render the sale of greeting cardsprofitable in stores which heretofore were unable to sell greeting cardsat a profit because of limitations in store floor space.

Still another objective of this invention has been to provid-a two-piecegreeting card display rack adapted to be easily converted into a generalutility display stand by inverting the greeting card rack and insertingit into the base of the stand.

These and other objectives and adavntages will be more readily apparentfrom a description of the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the card display ice stand with thecard display portion uppermost in the base of stand,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the stand with the card displaysection extending downwardly into the base and the dump bin extendingupwardly,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the upper portion of thecard display stand.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, it will be seen that the display stand ofthis invent-ion comprises a base 10 and a top section 11 which isadapted to be mounted on the base it in either of two positions. In thefirst position, the top section serves as a card display rack as shownin FIGURE 1 and in the inverted or second position, it serves as a dumpbin or receptacle for display of any type of merchandise such as haircurlers, toothpaste, powder, etc. Thus the stand may be set up with thegreeting card rack turned up during holiday seasons to provide extraexposure OfwCaTdS. In off-holiday seasons, the unit can be reversed,exposing the dump bin or receptaclejon top.

The base 16 comprises a rectangular wooden box-like structure having anopen top adapted to receive the top section 11 of the stand. The frontwall 12 of the base is equipped with a hinged door 13 by means of whichaccess may be gained to a storage compartment area 14 in the interior ofthe base. The hinged door 13 is mounted so as to swing outwardly anddownwardly about lower hinges 15 mounted at the bottom of the door. Whenopen, the door is held or supported in a horizontal plane by a pair ofchains i6. Of course, sliding doors or any type of door structure couldbe used in place of the hinged door construction, illustrated in thedrawings.

To support the top section ill of the display rack, an adapter frame 2i)extends around the top of the base portion 10. The adapter frame 2i hasa peripheral rabbet 21 in its top inner surface which cooperates withsimilar rabbets in the top section 11 to form a rabbet joint between thetop section of the stand and the base it). To prevent inward collapse ofthe adapter frame 20, it is supported at the bottom by interior rails 22which collectively present a top surface 23 flush with the top surfaceof the side walls.

The top section 11 of the stand includes a rectangular frame 25. It hasrabbets 26, 2'7 and around its upper and lower outside peripheralsurface which cooperate with the rabbet 21 in the adapter frame 24) toform a rabbet joint with the supporting member 20 irrespective of theposition in which the top section 11 of the stand is mounted. When thecard display section of the. top section is uppermost, the rabbet 27forms a rabbet joint with rabbet 21 and when the dumpbin 17 isuppermost, the rabbet 26 cooperates with rabbet 21 to form a rabbetjoint with the base of the stand. Thus the rabbets 26, 27 are socketedwithin the rabbet 21 of the base and are operative to prevent lateralmovement of the top section of the stand relative to the base It andretain it securely on the base.

Referring to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that a bottom panel 3i) extendsbetween the four side walls of the frame 25 so as to form an open recessor dump bin 17 in the bottom of the top portion 11 of the stand. Whenthe top section 11 is inverted, the dump bin 17 is located as shown inFIGURE 2 in the upwardly extending position for reception of articles ormerchandise therein. When so located, the bottom panel 3h is supportedfrom beneath by a pair of side supports 31 which extend the length ofthe stand.

The card display rack includes a pair of side panels 35, 36 attached tothe rectangular frame 25 and between which extend the card supports. Thecard supports include a plurality of generally horizontal shelves 37 anda plurality of upwardly and rearwardly extending risers 38.

Each of the shelves 37 is connected to the rear of a riser 38 at a pointintermediate the ends of the riser 3%. It is also connected to the frontof another riser 33 at a point near the bottom of this riser so that theshelves 37 form a plurality of stepped platforms extending upwardly andrearwardly from the front of the display stand. The lowermost riser asis mounted between the frame 25 and the lowermost shelf 37. This shelf37 is beveled as at on the front edge so as to permit the lowermostriser 38 to extend upwardly and rearwardly at an angle parallel to theother risers 38. The uppermost riser 33 is supported at its rear by avertically extending support 4t) which is also beveled along its frontupper edge 41 to provide an abutment surface for this riser 33.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the stand of this invention is convertiblefrom a greeting card display stand for use in the holiday seasons to areceptacle for general merchandise in other seasons of the year. Toconvert the stand from a greeting card display stand to a generalutility type of display stand, the top section tilt is lifted from thebase portion and rotated 186 in the clockwise direction as viewed fromthe front and then lowered again into the base section. When thegreeting card section of the top section is located in the base lit? andthe dump bin 17 is uppermost, the base 19 still retains a a largestorage area M behind the door lldfor the storage of items such asmerchandise similar to that displayed in the dump bin 1'7.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A convertible greeting card fixture comprising,

a hollow rectangular base,

a top section adapted to be mounted upon said base in either of twopositions,

said top section including a rectangular frame member,

a vertically stepped greeting card display rack extending outwardly awayfrom said frame member and a horizontal platform extending between thesides of said frame member,

said display rack including a plurality of card supporting steps each ofwhich is located in a different vertical plane from the other steps,said steps being interconnected by generally vertical risers,

said top section in one position on said base having said greeting cardrack extending above said base with said platform located below saidrack and in the other position having said greeting card rack extendingdownwardly into said base with said platform over said rack and inhorizontal plane.

2. A convertible greeting card fixture comprising,

an open top rectangular base having four vertical side walls and ahorizontal bottom wall,

a top section adapted to be mounted upon said base in either of twopositions, said top section including a rectangular frame member adaptedto be supported near the open top of said side Walls,

a card rack including a pair of rack side walls attached to andextending vertically from two opposite sides of said rectangular framemember, a plurality of parallel card supporting steps interconnected byrisers supported between said rack side walls, said steps all beinglocated at different vertical level Hi. a horizontal platform extendingbetween the four sides of said frame member,

said top section in one position on said base having a' bottom edge ofsaid rectangular frame supported upon said base such that said greetingcard rack on tends upwardly from said base, and in the other positionhaving an opposite edge of said frame member supported upon said basesuch that said platform is uppermost and said rack is suspended downwarfrom said frame and is telescopically received within said hollow base.

3. The greeting card fixture of claim 2 wherein the pppcr edges of saidvertical side walls are rabbeted and said edges of said rectangularframe are also rabbeted to form a rabbet joint between said frame andsaid base.

4. A convertible greeting card fixture comprising,

an open top rectangular base having front and rear vertical walls, apair of side walls, and a horizontal bottom wall,

a door mounted upon said front wall for access to a storage area withinsaid base,

a top section adapted to be mounted upon said base in either of twopositions, said top section including a rectangular frame member adaptedto be supported near the open top of said walls,

a card display rack including a pair of rack side walls attached to andextending vertically from two opposite sides of said rectangular framemember, a plurality of parallel card supporting steps interconnected byrisers supported between said rack side walls, said steps all beinglocated at different vertical levels sequcntially changing in elevationfrom front to rear,

:1 horizontal platform extending between the four sides 7 of said framemember,

said top section in one position on said base having a lower portion ofsaid rectangular frame engaged with and supported upon said base suchthat said greeting card rack extends upwardly from said base with saidsteps rising in elevation from front to rear, and in the other positionhaving another portion of said frame opposite said lower portionsupported upon and engaged with said base such that said platform isuppermost and said rack is suspended downwardly from said frame so as tobe telescopically received and stored within said hollow base, saidsteps being progressively lower from front to rear whe said rack is instored position within said base so as to maximize the useful storagespace accessible through said door on the front of said base.

References Cited by the Examiner UNl'l'ED STATES PATENTS 747,741 12/03Marsh.

965,237 7/10 Shaffer 312-126 1,651,905 12/27 Pitt 312-126 1,672,633 e/zsVogel 312-l26X FOREIGN PATENTS 779,661 7/57 Great Britain.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. CHANCELLOR E, HARRIS, Examiner.

1. A CONVERTIBLE GREETING CARD FIXTURE COMPRISING, A HOLLLOW RECTANGULARBASE, A TOP SECTION ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED UPON SAID BASE IN EITHER OFTWO POSITIONS, SAID TOP SECTION INCLUDING A RECTANGULAR FRAME MEMBER, AVERTICALLY STEPPED GREETING CARD DISPLAY RACK EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AWAYFROM SAID FRAME MEMBER AND A HORIZONTAL PLATFORM EXTENDING BETWEEN THESIDES OF SAID FRAME MEMBER, SAID DISPLAY RACK INCLUDING A PLURALITY OFCARD SUPPORTING STEPS EACH OF WHICH IS LOCATED IN A DIFFERENT VERTICALPLANE FROM THE OTHER STEPS, SAID STEPS BEING INTERCONNECTED BY GENERALLYVERTICAL RISERS, SAID TOP SECTION IN ONE POSITION ON SAID BASE HAVINGSAID GREETING CARD RACK EXTENDING ABOVE SAID BASE WITH SAID PLATFORMLOCATED BELOW SAID RACK AND IN THE OTHER POSITION HAVING SAID GREETINGCARD RACK EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID BASE WITH SAID PLATFORM OVERSAID RACK AND IN HORIZONTAL PLANE.